


We are Family

by JetGirl1832, tomatopudding



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Angst, Drag Queens, F/M, Family Issues, Family is everything, M/M, Mistaken Identity, Modern Era, Nonbinary Character, The Birdcage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-29
Updated: 2016-09-29
Packaged: 2018-08-18 10:44:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8159314
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JetGirl1832/pseuds/JetGirl1832, https://archiveofourown.org/users/tomatopudding/pseuds/tomatopudding
Summary: Philip has some big news, he's engaged and he wants his parents to meet hers. So what happens when you try to introduce a super conservative senator to your Dads, one of whom has a love for glitter and is the star of your Father's drag show? Chaos. Complete chaos. Based on the amazing film "The Birdcage"





	

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by a prompt we found on Tumblr. 
> 
> I’d love to see any couple in an au inspired by the movie “The Birdcage”. For those unfamiliar with the movie, it’s about these two gay men who own a drag bar in Miami, one of which is the star drag queen. The other has a son who wants to get married to a girl who is the daughter of an incredibly conservative senator. The girl knows about the son’s parents, but her family does not. (watching the movie is way better than me describing it. It’s A+. Robin Williams, Nathan Lane, just fantastic)

As per usual Philip's arrival home for the summer had been quite the joyous occasion. This year had been no different except that Philip had come home with news.

He was positively beaming with excitement his first evening back and it was evident that had something to tell although no amount of prodding would compel him to reveal it.   
  
"I'll tell you when I'm ready," he laughed, "and not a moment before."   
  
Alex propped his chin on his fist and pouted at his son, "Oh come now, don't leave us in suspense."   
  
"Don't harangue him," John scolded, rolling his eyes. To anyone who didn't know John, they would think that he was truly upset, but his husband and son knew better.

"Does it have anything to do with that girl Theo you mentioned?" Alex raised his brow.

The flush that spread across Philip's cheeks was extremely telling. Alex crowed with delight and reached across the table to squeeze the young man's cheeks.   
  
"My little boy is growing up," he sighed.   
  
"Pops, stop it," Philip said with laughter in his voice, pushing Alex's hand away.   
  
For the rest of the evening, Philip chattered on about Theo, his eyes shining brightly and so obviously in love. He left for his own apartment just before Alex went to get ready for that night's performance.

"Don't be late," John chided.  
  
"I'm never late," Alex responded hotly, "everyone else is simply early."   
  
"Alex..."

Alex trilled out a laugh and swooped over to plant a kiss on John's lips. John couldn't help himself, gripping Alex's hips to keep him in place as he deepened the kiss.   
  
"I thought you didn't want me to be late," Alex teased when they parted, his body pressed close.

John smacked Alex's ass playfully, "Get dressed."

John watched Alex walk to his dressing room, hips swaying as he hummed the tune of his performance piece. God John loved that man, if not despite his ridiculousness then because of it.

"He's going to be late again isn't he?" Lafayette sauntered into the room.  
  
Lafayette had been a friend long before Alex and John decided to hire them. The couple had met them on a trip to France back before Philip was even born and they had all become fast friends. Several years after Philip's birth, when the child started becoming a handful and the club downstairs was just starting to make them an actual living and John was stressed beyond belief making sure all the finances worked out and Alex was busy creating his acts, Lafayette had shown up out of the blue on the doorstep having hopped a plane on a whim. John hadn't even thought about hiring any sort of housekeeper or babysitter, but Lafayette had been the one to suggest it. At first it was going to be temporary, but then a few months later Alex had arrived with a tailor named Hercules in tow, insisting that he made the best dresses this side of the Mississippi and Alex needed him. Hercules and Lafayette had taken one look at each other and been completely smitten. It took far too many years for the two of them to admit it and actually start dating, but that was besides the point.   
  
Obviously, Philip was far too old to need a babysitter, but John couldn't just throw Lafayette out. For one thing, they kept putting off taking their citizenship test so they needed a job to keep their work visa. Not to mention that if Lafayette went then Hercules would probably go too and Alex would never stand for that.

"Most likely," John shook his head, "but that doesn't mean that we have to."

"Oui," Lafayette agreed, throwing a friendly arm around John's shoulders, "Come, let us go mingle with your guests and let the prima donna prepare in peace."  
  
"They're hardly my guests, Laf," John said, although he easily allowed Lafayette to lead him towards the the stairs, "They don't even know who I am."   
  
"You are an attractive man," Lafayette said, "What more do they need to know?"

John chuckled as they entered into the club from the back, it was already starting to fill up for the evening. Despite his insistence that nobody would know him, John found himself being greeted by several regulars and, once Lafayette had flounced off to talk to their friend Thomas, he even got looks from a few young men. He wasn't an attention whore like Alex, but John preened under the gazes none the less.

He glanced down at his watch, there was five minutes before Alex was supposed to go on for his number. Of course that meant the lights didn't go down until ten minutes later and by that point the tables scattered around the club were full. John settled by the bar to watch, a glass of wine in hand.

The lights dimmed a little and a spot appeared on the stage, sure John knew every part of Alex's routine but that didn't mean he didn't enjoy watching him every night.

Arguably the best part of the night was the big reveal at the beginning of the show. With a master tailor at his disposal, Alex had no shortage of dresses ranging from demure dark colors to dazzling glittery gowns. John was never allowed to see Alex getting ready so the dress of the night was always a surprise to him as well.

Tonight's number was a glittering emerald green, one of Alex's favorite colors. John couldn't help but think to himself he really needed to compliment Hercules on the cut of this particular dress after the show. He was particularly fond of the long slit that ran from the bottom of the skirt all the way up to Alex's hip. The tantalizing glimpse of leg with every movement surely drew the eye of every person in the house.

John barely paid attention to the act itself, he knew it all by heart anyway, choosing instead to focus on Alex and the way his true emotions shone through when he performed.

There was always one point close to the middle of the song that John always knew Alex was sing to him, and him alone. And without fail it always made his heart flutter.

Alex scanned the audience through half-lidded eyes as he came to the bridge of the song and he found John at just the right moment, catching his gaze and holding it. The stage smirk on Alex's face turned more genuine and he threw a quick wink in John's direction. John couldn't help but grin back and blow a kiss.   
  
Alex smiled as he continued to sing, the romance in their relationship still as prevalent as the day they first got together. The smile stayed on Alex's face even when he eventually tore himself away from John's beautiful eyes. Feeling those eyes on him always made Alex feel loved and needed in the most amazing way. 

Alex's song soon came to an end the crowd applauded and he gave an elegant curtsy before walking off.

There were more songs to come and the night was far from over, but John drained the last of his glass and retreated upstairs to the apartment, leaving the bustle of the club behind him. Most nights, John would stay and watch the performances but sometimes he just needed some time to himself to savor the silence. He loved his husband with all his heart, but Alex had probably never been quiet his whole life.   


Grabbing his book off the coffee table John settled himself into the mountain of throw pillows on the couch. He didn't plan to doze off, but it wasn't until he woke with a start at the touch of Alex's hand on his cheek that John realized he had fallen asleep with his book on his lap.

"Rise and shine sleepy head."  
  
John blinked away the sleep in his eyes as he slowly began to sit up, his back in quite a state from falling asleep there. He couldn't help but wonder how long he'd been out for.

He glanced at the clock on the mantle and groaned lightly.   
  
"It's three in the morning, babe," John sighed.   
  
"Which means that you need to come to bed," Alex said, then pouted prettily, "It's so cold without you."   
  
Alex had already changed out of his performance attire and washed off all the makeup. His skin looked soft from his nightly moisturizing routine and his hair was loose about his shoulders.   
  
"Well maybe you wouldn't be cold if you wore something more substantial," John replied. Not that he was complaining. His eyes roamed over Alex's body, clad only in a pair of panties and a tank top.   


"You love it and you know it," Alex smirked and pulled at John's arm, "now to bed with you."  
  
"Yes your ladyship," John smiled as he followed Alex towards their bedroom.

\----------  
  
It wasn't often that John woke before Alex, but when he did he liked to savor every moment: the perfect way Alex curled around him, the gentle feeling of Alex's breath on his skin, how soft his hair was. He had to contain a small laugh as he looked at the dark hair that curled across Alex's face, seeming not to disturb him. He carefully brushed the errant strands from Alex's face and rubbed a thumb over the cheekbone he had exposed. Alex shifted slightly as he did this, a small appearing on his lips.

"You're interrupting my beauty sleep," Alex mumbled.   
  
"You're so beautiful already," replied John, "Any more beauty sleep and the angels will come down to claim you as one of their own."

Alex lazily reached out and smacked John's face.  
  
"Hey!" John laughed.

"Are you saying that I'm not good enough to be an angel?" Alex pouted, sticking out his lower lip. John could never resist that look.   
  
"You’re my angel," John assured him, leaning forward to capture that lip gently between his teeth.   
  
Alex sighed and wormed his leg in between John's, shifting so that they could kiss properly.

John grinned as they kissed and eventually sighed, "Okay let's get up-"  
  
"But why?" Alex flopped back onto the bed, "When you could stay here with me?"

"I would love nothing more," John said, leaning down to press another lingering kiss to his husband's lips, "but you've got dress fittings with Herc today and Philip is coming for a late lunch."

"Can we make it a later lunch?" Alex pleaded.

"Well," John sighed, drawing the word out.   
  
Alex rest his hand on John's thigh, squeezing gently and stroking with his thumb. John's breath hitched slightly.   
  
"I suppose I could be convinced," he relented, as if it was a big difficulty.

\----------

"They're going to love you," Philip reassured Theo as they walked up the stairs to his parents apartment.  
  
"Are you sure?" Theo bit at her lip.

"Trust me," Philip said, pecking her on the cheek and reaching to take her hand, tangling their fingers together, "You've brought wine, so that's Pops settled, and you're a liberal who grew up in a conservative house, so you and Papí have that in common."

Theo sighed and rest her head on his shoulder as Philip rang the bell and waited for the door to open.

There was a slight commotion from inside, but Philip didn't even flinch. He could hear Lafayette's accented voice say something about getting the door, John's frustrated response, and some dramatic exclamation from Alex.   
  
He had told Theo about his dad, but seeing it was very different and she squeezed his hand tightly when the door was flung open. Alex was in a dress, but this was nothing new. The hem was half pinned and half sewn as well as there also being only one sleeve attached. Or maybe there was supposed to only be one sleeve, Philip wasn't sure.

"Philip!" Alex proclaimed, "I would hug you but I don't want to stab you with pins."  
  
"That is much appreciated Pops," Philip laughed.

"And you must be Theodosia," Alex continued, carefully enunciating every syllable of her name, "It's so nice to meet you, Philip has told us so much."

"It's nice to meet you too..." Theo began to blush.  
  
"Come in, come it!" Alex ushered them inside. 

"Alex, come back here," Hercules grumbled as he approached, "I need to finish, you can't just leave in the middle of a fitting!"  
  
"Herc," Alex gasped, "You would have me leave my only son out in cold while you sew for hours."   
  
"That's kind of what you pay me for," Hercules pointed out.

"But Philip's home! Surely you would like to say hello?" Alex gestured to his son.

Hercules rolled his eyes, "Hello Philip," he drawled in a monotone, the way a class of school kids would greet a teacher in the morning. Then he grinned and clapped Philip on the shoulder, "Great to see you, kid."  
  
"You too, Uncle Herc."   
  
"Philip!" Lafayette exclaimed as they came into the room practically shoving Hercules out of the way.   
  
"Hi Titi Laf," Philip chuckled as Lafayette embraced him.

"I remember when you were a little baby," Lafayette said wistfully, holding Philip by the shoulders, "You were so cute back then."  
  
Philip shook his head fondly, "I swear, you're almost as dramatic as Pops."   
  
"Aha," Lafayette said, "the key word there," they tapped Philip's nose with one finger, "is almost."

"Titi, this is Theo," Philip smiled letting Theo come forward.  
  
Lafayette kissed Theo on both cheeks in greeting, which she seemed surprised by but also rather pleased.   
  
"Beautiful," they commented, "How did you ever end up with a louse like Philip."   
  
"I'm really feeling the love here," Philip said dryly, "Where's Papí?"   
  
"In his office," Lafayette said, "One of the musicians suddenly quit two hours ago, so he's been making frantic phone calls trying to find a replacement until someone new can be hired."

"Oh."  
  
"But he'll want to see you," Alex urged.

Leaving Hercules to finish Alex's dress and Lafayette to finish making lunch, Philip took Theo's hand to lead her further into the apartment. John's office was right next to Philip's old room and he remembered spending hours playing on the floor as John's feet while he worked on some aspect of the club business.

John let out a gusty breath and managed a smile, "Hey, bud."  
  
Philip took in his father's appearance, "Do you need a hug?"   
  
John laughed, "I wouldn't say no."   
  
He stood from his desk and walked towards the door, meeting Philip halfway and pulling him into a tight hug.

"So are you going to introduce me to the pretty lady you brought with you?" John asked.

"Right, Theo this is my Papí. He's the sane father."  
  
John lightly smacked the back of Philip's head in reprimand.   
  
"Come now, your father can't help the way he is," John said. He held out a hand to Theo, which she took easily, "Pleasure. I'll save the questions about your life for the actual meal so that you don't have to say everything twice."

Theo smiled.  
  
"Which Lafayette didn't happen to tell you when they would be done, did they?" John asked.   
  
"You know Titi," Philip smirked, "it's done, when it's done."

"And they tease Alex about being late for performances," John laughed, shaking his head, "I swear, I don't know what to do with them sometimes."

"But that's why you keep them around," Philip chuckled, "keeps you on your toes."  
  
"Sure, that's why," John rolled his eyes.

"Are you hogging our son's attention?" Alex asked, appearing in the doorway. He was out of the dress, wearing jeans and a t-shirt, "Food is ready when you are, my dears."

"Alright then let's eat," John clapped his hands together, "and we'll have a nice lunch-"  
  
"Please don't interrogate Theo," Philip begged.   
  
"Don't look at me!" John laughed.   
  
"Papí..."

"It's okay," Theo put in, hooking her arm through Philip's, "I don't mind talking about myself."  
  
"A woman after my own heart!" Alex said, "Never be afraid to talk about yourself, it's the subject you know best."

"Dad..." Philip sighed.  
  
"It's true," Alex smiled, "now sit down everyone so we can eat."

The bottle of wine Theo brought was uncorked and glasses were poured and passed around as Lafayette and Philip brought the food to the table. Lafayette was a quite a good chef after so many years of working for Alex and John. That certainly wasn't always the case and Philip remembered a fair few boxed meals and canned soups during his childhood.

Theo sat beside him while he took a seat beside as everyone settled around the table.  
  
"So Laf what's on the menu today?" John asked.

"When have I ever revealed that to you?" Lafayette laughed, "Eat and you will discover! Oh, Theo there isn't anything you're allergic to it cannot eat, is there?"  
  
"Not at all," Theo assured them.   
  
"Oui, magnifique!"

With that lunch began, and even though they promised not to the interrogation began as well. But Theo answered each question calmly and politely.

It was discovered that the two of them had been dating for the last two years and that her father was a New York state senator. Theo's mother, also named Theodosia, was a surgeon and Theo herself was studying biology with a pre-med track.

It wasn't until Theo was passing a tray to Philip that Lafayette let out a loud gasp.  
  
"Mon dieu!"   
  
Philip took the tray, "Titi Laf?"   
  
"How could you not tell us?" Lafayette pouted.

"What?" Alex asked, looking between Theo and Philip, both of whom were blushing and not meeting his eyes.   
  
Theo looked at Philip and bit her lip, raising a questioning eyebrow. Philip nodded slightly.   
  
"Okay," he said, "don't freak out, but," here he took Theo's left hand and offered it across the table to his fathers, "we're getting married."   
  
Alex, of course, did not heed the warning and promptly freaked out.

"My little boy is all grown up," Alex began to sniffle.   
  
"Dad."

"I'm okay," Alex said unconvincingly, a few tears rolling down his cheeks, "I'm just happy for you."

"You have a funny way of showing it," Philip grinned.  
  
"So have you made any plans yet?" John asked.   
  
"That's actually something we wanted to talk to you about," Philip began to blush, "I want you to meet Theo's parents.”

"We'd love to," John said immediately, "Wouldn't we, Alex?"  
  
"It's..." Philip paused and looked down at his hands, "It's not really that easy. Theo's dad is very conservative."   
  
John carefully scrutinized Philip. There was something his son wasn't saying.   
  
"And?" he prompted.   
  
When Philip didn't answer, Lafayette made a show of getting up and stretching.   
  
"Well," they said, "Herc, Theo, why don't you come help me with dessert?"   
  
When Philip was alone with his fathers he took a deep breath, still not meeting their twin gazes.   
  
"I met Theo's parents a while ago," Philip said, "and when they asked about you I panicked. I really wanted to make a good impression, you know? I love Theo and it would kill me to get between her and her parents. Papí, I told them that you were a lawyer."   
  
John nodded slightly. He did have a law degree after all, it wouldn't be too difficult for him to pretend to be a lawyer for his son's sake.   
  
"And me?" Alex asked.   
  
"I said," Philip finally looked up, but he resolutely stared at a point past Alex's shoulder, "I said that my mom designs websites for companies and works from home."   
  
Alex froze, "Your mom."

Philip bit his lower lip, "Yeah... My mom."  
  
There was an uncomfortable silence that shrouded the dining room.   
  
"Please say something," Philip begged seeing the sad look on his father's face.

"And where am I in this situation?" Alex asked finally, "Eccentric Uncle Alex? Do I even exist in your perfect world?"  
  
"Pops," Philip tried.   
  
"I guess I should just leave then," said Alex stiffly, pushing away from the table.

"Pops wait!" Philip called after him.  
  
"I'll come back when you want me in your life again," Alex replied coldly.

"I have to tell you that I'm not pleased with this," John said when Alex had disappeared, "You know how difficult it was for your father to come out and to learn to be comfortable in his own skin."  
  
Philip's stomach churned guiltily.   
  
"I know," he whispered, "I just panicked and said the first thing that came into my head."

"Well I want you to apologize," John folded his arms across his chest.  
  
"And I will," Philip nodded, "but what do I do?"

John sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face. It was a bad situation and he was quite upset with what his son had done. But. It was important to Philip for his family to make a good impression on Theo's so he would make the best of the situation.   
  
"Have you thought about calling Aunt Eliza?" John asked.   
  
Eliza wasn't actually Philip's aunt. She was a close friend of Alex's from school who had agreed to be their surrogate so she was actually Philip's mother in a way.   
  
"No," Philip shook his head.   
  
"Well I guess if we were to get technical is your mother," John sighed, "so it wouldn't be lying exactly..."   
  
"Do you think she'd agree?" asked John sheepishly.   
  
"Maybe," John replied, then amended himself, "Probably. Be prepared for her to chew you out a bit first, though."   
  
The sound of Lafayette's musical laughter floated out of the kitchen. John sighed lightly.   
  
"I'm going to go talk to Alex," he murmured, leaving Philip with his thoughts and remaining guilt. 

\----------

To say Alex was hurt was an understatement, his son was to be married and it felt like he was going to be left out of it entirely. He felt like he was back in high school, being forced to hide himself away so that the rest of the world could feel better about itself. Alex had long thought that he would never have to feel that way ever again, but apparently he had been wrong.

The fact that he was getting it from his own son? That increased the pain tenfold. For the first time in his career, Alex was glad to have a night off from performing. He didn't even have the energy to put on something pretty. Even Philip's profuse apologies and John's comforting embrace didn't help.

Tensions did not ease as the days drew nearer to when Senator and Dr. Burr would be coming to visit. It was when he heard Philip and John making some last preparations for the meal, making sure everything was perfectly in place, that Alex had the idea. So, Philip wanted a mother? Then Alex would give him a mother. Hell, he'd be the best mother his son could ever ask for. A new wave of determination flooded through him as he strode to his dressing room and flung open the closet. Alex leafed through the myriad of dresses hanging on the rack until he found the perfect one. He pulled it out and smiled.   
  
\----------   
  
The feeling out in the dining room was not relaxed. As John predicted, after giving him a bit of a harsh talking to, Eliza had agreed to pose as his mother, but now she was running late. The Burrs would be there any minute and Eliza was stuck in traffic still several miles away.

Philip was straightening his tie, "Is she here yet?"

"Not since the last time you asked," John replied.   
  
Philip flushed slightly, "Sorry I'm just anxious. I really want them to like you."   
  
John very carefully did not mention Alex. It was a sore subject between the two of them at the moment.

"It'll be fine," John nodded his head, "Eliza will be here and all will work out, but you will eventually have to clear this up."  
  
"I know," Philip sighed.

A knock sounded at the door and Philip flinched.   
  
"I hope that's her," he muttered as he went to open the door. He wasn't in luck. Not that Philip was pleased to see his fiancé.   
  
"Theo," Philip greeted, kissing her cheek gently, painfully aware that her parents were standing right behind her.

Senator Burr cleared his throat and Philip jolted back, "S-senator Burr," he held out his hand to her father.  
  
"Mr. Hamilton-Laurens," the senator greeted, his tone wasn't particularly warm but it wasn't chilly either. He seemed decidedly neutral about the situation.   
  
"Please come in," Philip said, gesturing his fiancé's parents inside.   
  
Although Alex had been in charge of decorating the apartment, it wasn't overly flamboyant. In fact, it was all rather understated and demure. Alex always said that he'd decorated in that way so that he would stand out more when walking into the room. At least it served Philip well and no frantic redecorating had been necessary.

Senator Burr immediately began to look around the room taking it all in.  
  
"Where are your parents?" Dr. Burr asked.

John stepped forward.   
  
"That would be me," he said, "Well, half of them anyway. John Hamilton-Laurens. Welcome. Can I get either of you a drink? Dinner will be a few minutes."

"That sounds lovely." Dr. Burr smiled.  
  
Theo walked over to Philip and took his hand, "So far so good," she smiled.

Philip smiled back, but it was a little bit shaky. There was still no word from Eliza and it was making him nervous.   
  
Once the Burrs had received their drinks, everyone took a seat at the table to await their dinner.   
  
"So, John," the Senator said, "Philip says that you're a lawyer?"   
  
"That's right," confirmed John. At least he wasn't completely lying, he did act as the club's lawyer if they ever needed it.   
  
"I actually have a law degree as well," Senator Burr continued, "but I haven't worked as a lawyer since before I was elected."   
  
"Do you think you'd ever go back to it?" asked John.   
  
The senator hummed in thought, "Possibly. But who knows."

"Now you said your wife does web design, correct?" Dr. Burr asked.  
  
John glanced out of the corner of his eye to see Philip nodding his head, "Yes...yes."

"Anything we might have seen?" she added.   
  
"Probably not," said John, "It's mostly startups, small home businesses, things like that. So," he rushed on, hoping to change the subject, "your daughter tells me that you're a surgeon, Dr. Burr?"   
  
"It's Theodosia, please. And yes. I do orthopedic surgery," she replied.   
  
"Where is your wife?" Senator Burr interjected, "I'm certain your son said that she works from home."   
  
"She does," Philip rushed to say, "She was just...out doing some shopping and got caught in traffic so she's--"   
  
"Here!"   
  
Philip's head snapped to face the person who had spoken and his jaw nearly dropped. In the doorway leading from the dining room to the rest of the apartment stood Alex. The dress he was wearing was simple and elegant with a high collar that hid his Adam's apple. He had toned down his usual stage makeup into something more casual that gave his face a soft look and he had used subtle padding to make his body a more feminine shape. His hair was lightly curled and pulled into a half ponytail. To Philip, Alex still looked like his father, but he could see how someone who didn't know the truth would believe that he was a woman.   
  
"Sorry for being a little late, as Philip said I was caught in traffic," Alex said, "so I didn't have quite as much time as I would have liked to get ready before you arrived. Alexandra, but please call me Alex."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mrs. Hamilton-Laurens," Senator Burr went to shake Alex's hand.

"The pleasure is all mine," Alex said, smiling brightly, "to meet the parents of the woman who stole my son's heart."  
  
"Mama," Philip said through slightly gritted teeth, "please behave."   
  
Alex laughed, "You hear this? It's almost as if he's ashamed of me. It's my job to embarrass you, darling."

Alex obviously still wasn't over his son's slight and Philip felt himself flush at the comment about being ashamed. At the same time, he was frantically texting Eliza under the table, telling her that she shouldn't come, that there had been a change of plans. What he didn't see was the the text failed to send.

"Oh yes," Dr. Burr laughed, "it's an agreement signed by every parent."  
  
Philip could not believe that they were buying it, he just couldn't stop himself from thinking this was not going to last long at all.

He was so tense, waiting for everything to go horribly wrong, that Philip completely lost track of the conversation until Theo gently touched his arm.   
  
He startled slightly then smiled sheepishly, "Sorry, I was miles away."   
  
"We were wondering about a wedding date," Senator Burr said.   
  
"To be honest, we haven't really thought about it yet," Philip said, "There isn't a huge number of people that we'd like to have there."   
  
"Right," agreed Theo, "a small ceremony is all we need."

"Oh that is just so sweet!" Alex proclaimed.

"I agree," Dr. Burr laughed, "Our own ceremony was fairly small as well. Aaron's grandfather is actually the one who married us, he was a priest you see."  
  
"It's a shame he isn't still with us," the Senator added.   
  
Any further conversation was halted by the arrival of their food. Lafayette was much more restrained than usual, although their eyes did widen quite a bit when they saw Alex sitting at the table and Hercules nearly ran into their back.   
  
"Dinner is served," Lafayette announced not taking their eyes off of Alex for a moment something that did not go unnoticed by Alex.   
  
"What is it Lafayette?" Alex asked, "is it my hair? I just got it done-"

"Non," Lafayette said, then hesitated very slightly before adding, "madame. I was simply admiring."  
  
Alex preened slightly.   
  
"You do look beautiful tonight, my love," John complimented. Now that the shock had worn off, he was actually quite enjoying having his husband by his side.

Lafayette and Hercules began to bring out the first course of the meal, a nice cold soup to start everyone off with.  
  
"This is really great Titi," Philip grinned as he tasted the soup before realizing what he had said, that just opened a whole new floodgate of problems.   
  
"Titi?" Senator Burr raised his brow.

Philip was at a loss of how to explain, but Lafayette came to the rescue.   
  
"Oui, monsieur," they said, "I helped raise Philip and I was close to him the way an uncle or an aunt would be, or tío and tía to use the Spanish. From those two words comes titi."   
  
The explanation was true but also vague enough that they wouldn't draw a conservative senator into a heated debate about nonbinary people.

"That's very cute," Dr. Burr smiled.  
  
Lafayette smiled, "Enjoy, and I'll be back soon with the next course."

The conversation picked up again between the two pairs of parents and Philip sighed in relief, leaning in close to Theo.   
  
"This could actually work," he told her softly.   
  
"You dad is doing great," Theo murmured back as Alex let out a peeling laugh, "I think my father might be a little enamored."   
  
Philip chuckled. Just then, his phone buzzed. Philip carefully pulled it out and check and his happy mood disappeared.   
  
"Uh oh."   
  
"What is it?" Theo asked.   
  
"I texted Eliza not to come but it didn't send," hissed Philip, "and she just messaged me that she's--"   
  
He was interrupted by the door opening as Eliza stepped through with a large smile.   
  
"Here," Philip finished miserably.

"Hello everyone," Eliza smiled brightly, "I'm sorry I'm late, traffic was a mess!"

"Eliza," Alex said with surprise, "I didn't know you were coming."  
  
Eliza seemed thrown and she blinked a few times.   
  
"Alex?"

"Who are you?" Senator Burr asked, his brow furrowed.

"I'm Philip's mother, of course," Eliza replied promptly.   
  
A deafening silence fell. Even the outside world seemed to be struck dumb.   
  
"I don't understand," Senator Burr stated flatly.

Philip sighed unsure of where to begin his tale, "That is my mother."  
  
"But..." Senator Burr looked back and forth between Alex and Eliza.   
  
"Well technically," Philip brushed his hair from his face, "she is my biological mother, she was my parents surrogate." 

Senator Burr looked a little bit less confused and Dr. Burr tried and failed to hide the sympathetic look in her eyes as she glanced at Alex, thinking him to be a barren woman.   
  
"I think you should just tell the whole truth, Philip," Theo said softly, squeezing his shoulder reassuringly.   
  
"Senator Burr," Philip began, "let me preface this by saying that I love your daughter with all of my heart. When you asked me about my parents I panicked and I know that you're conservative and were raised religious and I didn't want to ruin my chances. Not that I'm ashamed of my family," Philip rushed on, turning to face Alex, pleading with his eyes for him the accept the apology and to see how much it pained him that he's hurt Alex through his words and actions, "In fact it's just the opposite."   
  
"I'm not sure I understand your meaning," Senator Burr said slowly, with an air of understanding more than he was letting on.   
  
Dr. Burr was scrutinizing Alex more intensely than she had and realization lit her eyes right before Philip spoke again.   
  
"Alex isn't my mother," Philip said, "he's my dad. And John is my Papí. They own a nightclub, it's actually right downstairs. Papí runs the club and my dad performs a drag act."   
  
"I prefer female impersonator," Alex said, allowing his voice to drop the slightly higher tone he'd adopted.   
  
"You prefer queen," John snorted. 

The dreaded silence returned.  
  
"I don't know what to say," Senator Burr furrowed his brow.

"Dad," Theo spoke up firmly, "don't let this change how you think of Philip."

"I never meant to lie or hurt anyone," Philip replied sheepishly, "and I did both of those things and for that I'm sorry."

Suddenly, and to everyone's surprise, the senator started laughing. It was an uproarious kind of the laughter, the kind that you can't help.   
  
"Um," John said eloquently, "Did we break him?"   
  
"Dad?" Theo looked incredibly puzzled. 

Eventually the senator's laughter came to stop, "Philip?"  
  
"Yes sir?"   
  
"I can't believe you went through all of this just so you could marry my daughter," Senator Burr chuckled.   
  
"I know," Philip's blush deepened, "it was stupid."   
  
"Damn right it was stupid."   
  
Yet even as he said this, the senator was still smiling.

"My boy," the senator said, "I may have conservative politics, but you must know that not all of us are homophobic bigots."

"You're not?" The words tumbled out of Philip's mouth before he even realized what he had said.  
  
"No," Burr smiled, "and I think tonight you have gone above and beyond what many would have done to impress a girl's parents."   
  
"Can you tell him once again how stupid it was?" Alex interjected.

Burr chuckled and shook his head slightly.   
  
"You're a good man, Philip, and smart too," he said, "but you did a stupid thing. Don't worry, we all do it sometimes." He smiled.

"Thank you sir," Philip gave a small smile.  
  
"And it would be a shame to let this dinner go to waste," Dr. Burr smiled, "Eliza why don't you join us?"

"I'd love to," Eliza said, "Lafayette's cooking is a great incentive."  
  
"Now," Burr said when they were all settled again, "why don't we try this again." He held out his hand to Alex across the table, "Aaron Burr, senator."   
  
"Alexander Hamilton-Laurens," Alex replied as he took Burr's hand, "drag queen."

"Nice to meet you.”


End file.
